Using relevant hashtags on TikTok is key to getting more views and followers on TikTok, as it helps your videos show up in searches. However, sometimes TikTok hashtags may stop working or showing up.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore all the main reasons why your TikTok hashtags may not be showing, along with detailed troubleshooting steps to fix this issue.
Why Are My TikTok Hashtags Not Showing Up or Working?
There are several potential reasons why hashtags you add to your TikTok videos may not actually show up. These include:
Banned or Blocked Hashtags
TikTok moderates hashtags and may ban some that violate community guidelines or are being misused. Using banned hashtags means they won’t show up on your posts. TikTok does not provide an official list of banned hashtags, so it can be confusing to figure out if one you’ve used is banned.
Common reasons hashtags may be banned include:
- Promoting illegal or dangerous/harmful content
- Coordinating spam/harassing campaigns
- Violating copyright or intellectual property
- Otherwise violating TikTok’s community guidelines
If you suspect a hashtag is banned, try searching for it on TikTok. If no results come up, that likely means the hashtag is banned and hidden.
Shadowbanned Accounts
In some cases, it’s not the hashtags but your account that is facing issues. If your account gets shadowbanned, your hashtags will stop showing up even if they are perfectly fine to use.
Shadowbanning is when TikTok limits a user’s reach and discoverability due to policy violations, but does not actually suspend the account. You may get shadowbanned if you:
- Post too much duplicate or repetitive content
- Use engagement pods or unfair methods to artificially boost popularity
- Violate other TikTok rules and policies
With a shadowbanned account, your hashtags will show up to you but not to anyone else. This kills their effectiveness and reach.
Hashtag Limit
TikTok allows a maximum of 100 characters worth of hashtags per post. If you exceed that limit, any excess hashtags simply won’t show up.
Try shortening your list of hashtags to ensure you stay under that 100-character cap. Use a character counter app to double-check.
Server Errors or Glitches
In rare cases, a technical glitch on TikTok’s end could also cause issues with hashtags not showing properly. This may especially happen if the app was recently updated, as new updates can introduce bugs.
If web or app services seem slow or unstable at the same time, that’s a sign of technical difficulties on TikTok’s side. Waiting a bit for them to resolve server problems can help.
Steps to Fix TikTok Hashtags Not Working or Showing Videos
Now that you know the potential reasons why your TikTok hashtags may not be working, here are concrete troubleshooting steps to fix the issue:
Step 1: Check if Hashtags are Banned
As covered earlier, one possibility is that you used a hashtag that has been banned by TikTok for violation of guidelines.
To check, search for each hashtag individually on TikTok to see if any content comes up for them or not.
- If you get some search results, the hashtag is allowed.
- If you get zero results even on a very general hashtag, that likely signals it has been banned and hidden.
Tip: Rather than guesswork, use TikTok analytics sites like Ritetag to know the status of hashtags. Banned tags will be flagged or impossible to find on them.
Search all hashtags you used that are not showing up. If any turn out banned, stop using them and your other hashtags should start working.
Step 2: Remove and Test
If your hashtags are fine, here are further troubleshooting tactics:
- Remove some hashtags and re-test – Start by paring down your hashtag list to 1-5 essentials and check if they show up properly now.
- Try well-established hashtags like #fyp, #foryou, etc first as test cases.
- Post from another TikTok account if possible to check if the hashtags work fine elsewhere.
If the shortened hashtag set works or shows up on another account, that points to an issue with your specific account that needs addressing…
Step 3: Check for Shadowban
As outlined earlier, hashtag issues can stem from your account being shadowbanned. This means hashtags WILL show up to you but are hidden from everyone else.
There are a few key signals to check if you have been shadowbanned:
1. Loss in reach/impressions
- Check your analytics for unusually large drops or low figures for plays and impressions.
- Try using hashtag analysis tools like Inbeat to check hashtag performance over time.
2. Minimal profile visits
A shadowban essentially makes it much harder to discover your profile and content. Externally check your TikTok profile analytics to see if visits to your profile or external links have taken a hit too.
3. No hashtag discoveries
See via analytics if people are still discovering and engaging your posts via specific hashtags, or if that pipeline has dried up. No hashtag traffic likely confirms a shadowban is in place.
If metrics check out, focus on resolving the shadowban next.
Step 4: Fix Shadowban Status
So it seems your account is likely shadowbanned leading to the hashtag issues. The next step is identifying what caused it and rectifying your account standing:
1. Identify policy violations
- Carefully review TikTok’s community guidelines on shadowbanning reasons.
- Analyze your post history and account activity to pinpoint what rules were broken.
- Look for factors covered earlier like spam, artificial engagement, copyright issues etc.
2. Appeal ban and remove violations
- You can submit an appeal to TikTok arguing against your shadowban directly.
- Delete any posts that violate policies or community guidelines per TikTok’s advice.
- Hold off on questionable engagement tactics, hashtag abuse etc. that may have triggered the ban.
3. Wait and repost consistently
- It can take 14 days or more for your account to regain good standing after you fix issues.
- Post consistently with original content in the meantime, using only recognized hashtags.
- As your shadowban lifts, hashtags should regain effectiveness for discovery.
Continue monitoring analytics too to observe if visibility for your posts returns back to normal levels.
Step 5: Check for Technical Glitches
As an last step, we’ll check for system-wide technical issues on TikTok’s end that could temporarily hamper hashtag functionality.
Signs of technical problems include:
- Slow loading times for the TikTok app and feeds/profiles not refreshing
- Features like inbox messaging, and notifications not working properly
- A notice from @TikTokSupport on Twitter or within the app indicating acknowledged issues with the platform
If such signs are present, temporary technical issues on TikTok’s servers could be to blame rather than your account.
The recommended fix is to simply wait it out in these cases for TikTok engineers to deploy fixes. You can check @TikTokSupport for updates on any progress.
As technical issues get resolved, your normal ability to add functional hashtags on posts should resume. You can always test with 1-2 hashtags on a new video post when you think services are up again fully.
Preventing TikTok Hashtag Issues
By following brand guidelines, posting quality content and avoiding spammy tactics you can minimize the likelihood of issues with hashtags not showing up down the line.
Here are some best practices worth keeping in mind:
- Review Community Guidelines – Read TikTok’s rules fully to avoid violating policies. Being flagged for multiple issues can lead to shadowbanning.
- Use Relevant, Proven Hashtags– Do proper keyword research and track performance data to find proven hashtags your audience responds to. Avoid generic spam tags.
- Post Consistently– Regularly uploading quality videos helps build account trust and standing.
- Credit Sounds & Content – Always credit audio tracks, songs or content you repurpose via embedding or captions.
- Make High-Value Posts– Strive for useful, engaging content vs repetitive posts designed solely for views.
- Limit Tag Spamming – Excessively repeating the same tags video to video is a red flag for moderators.
Sticking to best practices minimizes your changes of issues with shadowbanning or losing hashtag functionality on TikTok.
Recap & Next Actions
Losing the ability to effectively use hashtags severely limits growth potential on TikTok. By identifying the root causes – whether banned hashtags, account shadowbans, or technical issues – you can troubleshoot properly and formulate solutions.
Follow the step-by-step guide covered in this post to diagnose why your TikTok hashtags aren’t working and what your options are to restore proper functionality. Monitoring analytics make it easier to both spot such problems early and confirm when they have been resolved.
Next actions you can take include:
- Searching hashtags from your last posts that did not show up to check if any seem banned
- Appealing any suspected shadowban on your account via TikTok’s dispute process
- Cleaning up your past content and engagement activity to comply fully with community policies
- Keeping an eye on @TikTokSupport for updates on any platform-wide issues
With the right diagnostic process, getting your TikTok hashtags to properly show up again is very feasible. Consistently producing quality content also helps cement account standing over the long-term.
Hopefully this comprehensive guide helps get your TikTok hashtags back on track or prevents struggles with discoverability in the future! Let us know in the comments if you have any other issues crop up or need help resolving them.
